Abu Gosh

Abu Gosh

The charming village of Abu Ghosh, with its important Christian connections, welcomes visitors and is just a few minutes’ drive west of Jerusalem.

Beginning in the twelfth century, Christians began to identify Abu Ghosh as Emmaus, where Jesus appeared after the Resurrection (Luke 24:12-31). They imagined an old caravansary they found by the village spring as the destination of the disciples as the walked along the road “about seven miles from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:13).

The village’s impressive Crusader church, in a tranquil garden setting, is built over that spring. Its walls are adorned with paintings of New Testament figures – some of the oldest medieval frescos in the world.

Abu Ghosh has also been identified as Kiriath Jearim, where the Ark of the Covenant was brought after Philistine captivity (1 Sam. 6:21); a church on the hill with a panoramic view marks that spot. A vocal music festival is held in the village churches during Passover week and Pentecost, attracting music lovers from throughout Israel and abroad.

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In the Catholic tradition, the entire month of May is devoted to the Virgin Mary and the faithful congregate for daily prayers to her. The Visitation recalls the meeting of the two future Mothers: the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist. The feast and the afternoon procession mark the end of this month of prayer.

Highlights of the feast
Jerusalem, Ein Kerem and the Old City - The Catholic Church of the Visitation is located in Ein Kerem, on a hill slope above the Ein Kerem spring. In the morning, a Mass is celebrated in the church of the Visitation. In the afternoon, a procession honoring the Virgin Mary marches through the Christian quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem.

This day commemorates the finding of the True Cross in Jerusalem by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, in the 4th century CE.

Highlights of the feast

Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross:
On the eve of the feast (6.5) Vespers are sung. On the day of the feast (7.5), Mass is celebrated, followed by a solemn procession through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, led by the Custos holding a relic of the Holy Cross.

This day commemorates the finding of the True Cross in Jerusalem by St. Helena, the mother of Constantine the Great, in the 4th century CE.

Highlights of the feast

Jerusalem, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, in the Chapel of the Finding of the Cross:
On the eve of the feast (6.5) Vespers are sung. On the day of the feast (7.5), Mass is celebrated, followed by a solemn procession through the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, led by the Custos holding a relic of the Holy Cross.